There's a star that's right inside you,So come on and let it outFind out what you're about and just shoutHere I am!

”

— Barbie

Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar is the 23rd CGI-animated Barbie film released on September 13, 2012. The film is a spin-off of Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper and follows the plot of a princess named Tori and a popstar named Keira, magically switch places before realizing it is best to be themselves.

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Official Summary

In this sparkling musical adventure with fantastic songs, Barbie stars as Tori, the kind-hearted princess of the magical kingdom of Meribella, who would rather sing and dance than perform her royal duties. When she meets her favorite pop star Keira, the girls discover they have much in common including a magical secret that lets them look like one another and swap places. When the kingdom's magical secret is stolen, their true friendship is tested and they discover that the best thing you can be is yourself.

Plot

In summer, Meribella, a magical kingdom, was soon going to have its five hundredth anniversary. Princess Tori and her younger sisters Meredith and Trevi were very busy. They had to attend ceremonies and balls, and always be poised and proper. The princesses thought it was hard work. Whenever they had the chance, they would sneak away and play together. Before Meribella's five hundredth anniversary, the princesses had to greet royal visitors, who came to Meribella for the occasion. Tori wished she could have an exciting, music-filled life like her favorite popstar, Keira. She wished she could watch Keira perform in an amphitheatre near her palace.

Keira, a world famous singer-songwriter, was on the guest list and was going to perform at the festival for the Meribella's five hundredth anniversary. Keira enjoyed touring, greeting fans and having extravagant, spectacular concerts. However, it left her with no time to do what she was passionate about: writing songs. Keira thought being a princess would be carefree.

The next day, members of the royal court were invited to the palace in Meribella to meet the royal family. Duchess Amelia, Tori's aunt, told off Tori for watching Keira's nearby concert when she was supposed to be greeting guests. Tori had to go back to the guests, so she used a magic hairbrush to style her hair before leaving.

When Keira went to the palace for the festival, she met Tori. They became great friends instantly, and so did their pet dogs Vanessa and Riff. Tori gave Keira a tour of the palace and so they began joking about trading places. Keira showed her magic microphone, that her aunt had given her, to Tori. It transformed her outfit into a royal gown. Tori used her magic hairbrush, so she used it to transform her hair into a different hairstyle. They realised that they looked just like each other.

Tori and Keira stayed disguised as each other while Tori carried on giving Keira a tour of her palace. They entered the secret garden, where fairies tended to the plants. There were gardenia flowers made out of diamonds, which were called Diamond Gardenias.
Tori told Keira that the Diamond Gardenia roots spread through the entire kingdom. Without it, Meribella would wither and die. The Diamond Gardenia made the kingdom magical.

Later, Crider and Rupert, two evil men, uprooted the Diamond Gardenia. The fairies tried to stop them, but their efforts were in vain. Tori and Keira stop them, and they learn that it's important for them to be their own selves.

Release

The film was released in the US on September 11. In the UK, it had a cinematic release in Vue cinemas on August 10th and was released on DVD on September 3. The film was also available for Digital Download.

Gallery

Videos

The first version of the teaser trailer was seen on the DVD for Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2. The second version was seen on Barbie.com in May 2012. The second teaser trailer has better graphics and different shots from the first one. The official trailer was released August 1st, 2012.

For his role as Seymour Crider in Barbie The Princess & The Popstar, Peter Kelamis was nominated for the "Best Voice" award for the 2013 UBCP/ACTRA Awards[1], but he lost to Nicole Oliver who won for playing Gailbreak! in The Littlest Pet Shop.[2]

There were rumors that Diana Kaarina would voice Keira. However, Kaarina officially stated that she would not be in the movie.

There is an animated VeggieTales episode called The Princess and the Popstar which has the same premise as this film.

In the "To Be A Princess/To Be A Popstar" scene, there is a photo on Keira's tablet of Teresa Espinosa, the choreographer, rehearsing with her.

In the storybooks, Tori and Keira don't wear their necklaces because they planted them due to having diamonds from the Diamond Gardenia on the necklace, so in the Finale Medley they don't wear their necklaces.

According to the Junior Novelization, Tori ends up being a great princess while Keira gives up her singing career, claiming that she wants to make music just for fun without business having anything to do with it.

When Keira and Tori swap their places during the song To Be A Princess/To Be A Popstar , their dogs Riff and Vanessa are with them but when Keira and Tori are stepping downstairs they are not with them . When the song ends they both appear with them.

When Keira as Tori is locked in Tori's bedroom and she's trying to get out, it turns out she is wearing Tori's golden heart-necklace, but when Vanessa barked and she told her to be quiet, it she wears her purple stars necklace again.

Tori throws Keira's microphone into the audience, but Keira inexpicably has it when she needs to change Crider's outfit.

Keira's tablet had no buttons on it.

Before the Finale Medley, Tori comes up without the mic and a moment later she has the mic.

When Tori is driving Keira's limo, she is shown with her hair in a bun instead of down like it is in the rest of the scene.